Historically, network bridges and routers have been built as standalone units. However, there are several limitations associated with the use of standalone units in a communications system to support multiple subscribers. Standalone units may have a limited number of available subscriber ports, and the physical reach of the individual subscriber lines coupling the subscribers to the units may also be limited. Further, economic considerations may limit the number of virtual circuits (VCs) that may be supported on each subscriber port. Where a unit is distributed, the number of VCs on the distribution ports between the distributed components of the unit may be as large as or even exceed the number of VCs between the unit and a central office (CO) or other external device. As a result, a large number of units may be required in order to accommodate a large subscriber community or a subscriber community spread over a relatively large area. These and other deficiencies have made previous systems inadequate for providing service to many subscriber communities.